Not very unlike a petulant child i'm going to stick to the fact that i loved this movie. LOVED IT! So readers, be warned, i'm going to be mostly praise out here.
But then again, i can understand why people would not like this movie. The 80's rock scene is not something that hit India all that hard. It just took time for people to roll out from the 60s and they went straight on to the 90s. There was the 'Hey Jude' generation with their long locks and bell bottom pants, and right after that 'Boyzone' happened.
What people here missed was the transition. The phase of tight pants with chains, crazy tattoos and back-combed hairdos! And that is what Rock of Ages is all about! The time when rock was almost dying out, the pop music scene was budding and some people were beginning to wonder if these GODS of rock were really any good at all. And in the middle of all this, there were a group of people who dreamed of always keeping rock alive.
The story starts with a small town girl who wants to be a singer, so like every other chick-with-dreams, she packs up and moves to LA. There she unexpectedly lands a job in the hub of rock, The Bourbon Room, and finds herself in love with another wannabe singer. Now The Bourbon Room was once THE PLACE where every rock band dreamt of playing but of late it was drowning in debt and it's only hope of revival rested with Stacy Jaxx (the god of rock) coming there to perform.
There are a lot of stories unfolding together but as opposed to common conception, they are not disjointed. The Bourbon Room is the anchor that holds the movie together. Every sub-story bifurcates from there and in the end, comes back beautifully together right there.
Now there are a whole load of clichs and a bucket full of sappy romance scores. But then again, what would a musical be without any of this?! The movie is about an era, and it was captured in this movie in an almost perfect way. The melodrama was always the centre point of the 80s. Everybody wanted to be a rock star! Everybody wanted to be jumping on the stage to his grungy guitar solo while the crowd screamed, head-banging to the beats. Lighters glowing from every corner of the ground in a symbol of their appreciation and booze sodden people pressing through the crowds just so they can get to touch their god once!
And rest assured, Tom Cruise has played his part brilliantly indeed. I almost forgot the he was not really Stacy Jaxx! I'm not saying that the others did a bad job, but Jaxx OWNED the stage (yeh, he's not Cruise for me anymore, Stacy Jaxx is going to stick with me).
For me, every scene and number brought back memories of a phase that all the rock fan went through. I was singing along with the music and i so wanted to jump up on my seat and air guitar along with Stacy Jaxx!
That's another thing, when exactly did the people get so boring?! I agree that there are movies that require concentration and inspire silence in the halls but this was definitely not one of them. I still remember, waaay back when i went for Lagaan, there were people dancing in the hall, cheering and whistling (not in a rowdy manner of-course) to ever six hit by the team and oh, when they eventually won, there was a mini celebration right there in the hall!
So my advice to you:
1. Watch this movie only if you're a HARD CORE 80s rock fan
2. go for it with a big gang of friends and show the people what a good time really is
3. If you're really enjoying it, don't hold back from having a karaoke night right there!
Share